As a Queer Catholic, 'Religious Freedom' Measures Are Baffling

[rug]

Queer Americans dodged a bullet from Trump's executive order last week. But it's only the beginning—and it's all insanity.

XORJE OLIVARES
May 9 2017, 3:57pm

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And the fact that religious leaders—including those within the Catholic hierarchy—pushed hard for the directive is disconcerting, to say the least. It's yet another reason why I feel that queer parishioners like myself need to continue fighting back against the institution we love. After all, the church supposedly seeks to promote love to ALL of God's children. I am God's child and have been since July 1988. So why is it that my brothers and sisters in Christ continue fighting me for simply being me? Do I have to call Dad? Just so you know, he and I have a pretty great relationship, and he usually answers whenever I call.

Jason Steidl, an openly gay doctoral student of theology at Fordham University, feels similarly. &quot Jesus) is the one I follow today—not the leadership of the Catholic Church," he said, "who claim to act in Christ's name, yet continue to speak out against the inherent worth of the LGBT community and the holiness of their relationships.

"The Catholic Church is much larger than its leadership," he added. "If we imagine the church as a body, the bishops may be the head, and the head may speak out against LGBT rights, but it is powerless without the body of Catholic believers who understand the difference between bigotry and religious liberty."

And religious liberty, according to renowned author and Jesuit priest Reverend James Martin, "cannot be, and should not be, a camouflage for hating, persecuting, or excluding people who are different from you." Martin's forthcoming book, Building a Bridge, explores the relationship between queer Catholics and the church, which he admits has become increasingly strained because of what they've heard for years, both at the pulpit and in private. Remember: Trump's executive order now protects such inflammatory language.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/as-a-queer-catholic-religious-freedom-measures-are-baffling